While many people may intend to quit smoking, it’s a hard addiction to kick.

UBC Okanagan is hosting a public session to promote the new online and gender specific QuitNow Men program. The first program of its kind, QuitNow Men is a web-specific option that offers new tools and tactics to help men quit smoking.

Developed by a team of UBC researchers and QuitNow experts, QuitNow Men will be launched on January 12, and will be available to all men in BC who want to take up the challenge in 2015 and break the addiction.

Among activities to recognize January’s National Non-Smoking Week, QuitNow Men will be the topic of interest during a special presentation at UBC Okanagan on Thursday, January 15, starting at noon.

Innovative features of this new smoking cessation resource will be demonstrated and feedback from the initial participants who used the website resources will be reported.. In addition, information about the strategies that are being used to market this new stop smoking resource to men across Northern British Columbia will be described.

John Oliffe, Professor, School of Nursing, UBC Vancouver will highlight the program, along with Gayl Sarbit and Paul Sharp from the Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention, and Jonathan Schmid from Context Research.

This free event is open to the public and takes place at room 129 at the Reichwald Health Sciences Centre, 1088 Discovery Avenue, UBC’s Okanagan campus. Men who are hoping to quit smoking are encouraged to participate.